South Dakota Emergency Management Association

SDEMA Certified Emergency Manager

A growing movement in the 1990's began nationwide to provide professional certification of emergency managers. Prior to 1993, South Dakota did not have a certification program for emergency management professionals.

The Executive Committee of the South Dakota Emergency Management Association (SDEMA) held a meeting on May 12, 1993 and decided to pursue formulating guidelines for emergency manager certification. Initially a single title of "Certified Emergency Manager" (CEM) was chosen along with experience and required education to achieve this designation.

If an applicant meets SD CEM-B & SD CEM-A qualifications, they can apply to be a SD CEM-A for their initial certification. SD CEM-

Basic: Applicants must have at least three (3) years of emergency management experience (can be a combination EM, Fire, EMS, Law Enforcement, CBRNE, Military Disaster Preparedness, etc.) of which in the past 18 months as an emergency manager or employment with an emergency management entity....along with required courses, additional planning, exercise. Read the Guidelines for full requirements and more information.
Advanced: Applicants must have at least five (5) years of emergency management experience (can be a combination EM, Fire, EMS, Law Enforcement, CBRNE, Military Disaster Preparedness, etc.) of which in the past 18 months as an emergency manager or employment with an emergency management entity....along with required courses, additional planning, exercise. Read the Guidelines for full requirements and more information.

Participation in the SDEMA CEM Program is completely voluntary and is not a required certification. Applicants are not required to be SDEMA members, however they must meet all of the guidelines and qualifications.

Review the full list of requirements to become a SD Certified Emergency Manager - SD CEM Guidelines
Complete and submit your Application
If you have any questions, contact the SDEMA CEM Coordinator